Disciplines Of Shotgunning

J

Jseime

New member
I know that there are several different disciplines of shotgunning. What is the difference between skeet, trap and sporting clays.

Thanks for your help guys.
 
This is hard to explain in a quick reply, because there are so many rules and variations of each game, but in a real quick nutshell:

Trap:

Shooters stand behind a trap house from 16 yards mostly. The birds are thrown away from you at a set max. height and speed. The birds will go straight, right and left in any random order. Up to 5 shooters stand side by side at a seperate station. Each shooter will call for a bird starting with station 1. After each shooter shoots 5 birds, you rotate to the next station and so on... at the end you will have fired 25 shots. If you broke 22 out of 25 you will move back to the 22 yard line and shoot a second round. This is called shooting your handicap. You shoot 25 from 16 yards, then your handicap, then 16 yards, then another handicap. Total score - how many you broke out of 100. There is also doubles trap, and variations of number of birds shot and several games that relate to trap.

Skeet is shot kinda similar only the traps are set in 2 towers. One on the right of you, one on your left. In a nutshell...the birds are launched left to right and right to left at different levels. I don't shoot skeet...so someone will help me out later I'm sure. Thanks guys!

Sporting clays is my game... it is kinda like golf with a gun. Different stations are set up and each shooter will travel through, stopping to shoot each station. Birds are launched from all angles and all directions. I've seen just about everything you can imagine. Different size birds are launched, rabbits, different colors, different speeds...it can get kinda crazy. But it's a ball to shoot.

All of the shotgun sports require skill. IMHO trap is a thinking mans game. The birds are not that hard to hit, but you will mess up and lose to someone that keeps a clear head. From what I hear, skeet is more of a speed sport than trap. To me sporting clays is the most fun, and is a instinctive reaction type of shooting that is kinda like bird or rabbit hunting.

As I said, all three are fun..and there are many different games that spin off of those 3 games. This was just a quick reply...more folks will chime in and talk about their favorite in more detail I'm sure.
 
BTW -

If you do a search, I'm sure you will be able to read the rules of each game and look at pics of the lay outs and people shooting. It is much easier than reading the confusing junk I typed above. :confused: ;)
 
Thanks buckmark i was just curious i dont need to go into great detail so you summed it up nicely for me.
 
We had fun shooting skeet last weekend with a Mossberg 500 Home defender. It was a challenge but not as hard as we expected :)
 
Trap is my main shotgun sport other than tactical shotgunning. Everyone tells me I need to get into sporting clays because of that challenge and variety, but hey, I shoot for fun, not to be challenged. :D
 
Jerry Meyer's Clay Target Handbook contains overviews of most of the clay sports as well as tips and techniques. Good book.
 
Dave,

I've purchased one book (Bob Brister's Shotgunning, The Art and the Science) because it was recommended either on this Websit or on THR. It is a great book! I will purchase the Clay Target Handbook too.

Are there any others that you recommend!

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Brister is a great place to start. Meyer's books are good, so are.....

If It Ain't Broke, Fix It by Gil and Vicki Ash. While some part of their approach is debatable, by and large it's a treasure. Good for everything, but strongly canted to the steely-eyed target sharks of Sporting Clays, and those who wannabee SETS.

Breaking Clays by Chris Batha. Good stuff with a Sporting Clays slant, though I've never met a good sporting shot who skanked at other shotgun disciplines.

Decent SC types do well at the other games.

HTH....
 
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